


Special Stage

by Schalakitty, wickedorin



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Fluff, Gen, Pre-Slash, pre-game
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-21
Updated: 2017-04-21
Packaged: 2018-10-21 04:26:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,742
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10677651
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Schalakitty/pseuds/Schalakitty, https://archiveofourown.org/users/wickedorin/pseuds/wickedorin
Summary: Just hanging out at the palace with the prince, no big.Until.





	Special Stage

**Author's Note:**

> Set pre-game, while Noctis and Prompto are in high school. This was written for FFXV Appreciation Week 2 over on Tumblr before the last episode of Brotherhood, and the actual came itself, came out. It still pretty much works, so no complaints. Noctis and Prompto were written by me, Ignis and Gladiolus were written by Schala, and this was just a fun little excursion.

There was an incredibly clear pout on Prompto’s face.  Actually, his lower lip may have been quivering a bit before he let out a long, whining sound of defeat and dropped the controller softly into his lap.  The other three cars had all crossed the finish line, all had place markers and shiny graphics signifying as much.   _His_ car remained in flames so far from the track itself that the fire wasn’t even properly zoomed in on.  "I didn’t know it was a _race_ -race!“ He attempted to defend himself.  "I thought you got bonus points for breaking stuff!”

With a snort, Gladio gave him a gentle ribbing, “This isn’t Maximum Carnage. You have to actually stay on the road.” And yet, he still glared a little at the leader board and his second place finish. “Iggy, you can’t even drive yet - how did you still beat me?”

“Natural talent,” he replied, not even hiding the smugness in his voice. But after a moment, he added, “Also Noct had me unlock everything for him so I’ve played hours upon hours of Ten-Tenths at this point.”

Instead of having the decency to look in the least bit ashamed of himself, Noctis put his controller down and stretched his arms over his head.  "You want a rematch?“

"No.”  The blond responded, clearly meaning yes, but also knowing there was probably no point.  "Something different, maybe?  Guys?“  Something he stood a chance at would have been nice, but he wasn’t about to dictate what video games the prince ought to be playing.  Even if he was set to hint if needed.

Standing up, Ignis left his controller on the table before assuring, "I plan on retiring champion, thank you.” Rounding about the couch and desk to make his way over to the small kitchenette - one of the many benefits of relaxing in Noct’s private quarters, he offered, “Anyone want a drink or a snack while I’m up?”

“Root beer, please,” the eldest teen requested, making his own way over to the console. Popping out the disc and stashing it away, he searched for a suitable replacement from the prince’s extensive collection, large bookshelves long since overrun with game cases after the flat screen and consoles were installed. “How about some Stained Sigil then? Nothing like a little fighting game action.”

Prompto’s pout suddenly disappeared.  "Okay, cool.  I’m better at fighting games!“  Then he paused for a moment, trying to be subtle about glancing over at Ignis.  He knew it had already been said that he was welcome, that he could ask for stuff he wanted, but it still seemed kinda…  Well, he just wanted to be polite about it.  "Could I have, um.  Whatever soda you have?  Please?”

“I have pretty much everything.”  Noctis informed nonchalantly, glancing over himself.

“Surprise me, then?”  The blond suggested with a little chuckle.

Rolling up his sleeves, Ignis looked ready to play bartender…. at least as much as a high school student could. “A special surprise coming right up then,” he promised, before searching out the right glasses and ingredients. Even if it wasn’t the most complicated recipe, Altissian Cream Sodas always _looked_ like quite the treat.

With the game decided on, Gladio slid in the disc and started it up. “Dibs on Navarax,” he called, wasting no time in sliding his cursor over the character select screen to his favorite. Upon selection, the half-dragon warrior gave a flash of metal claws and a wicked smile, his scaled wings and strong arms flexing… as if that distracted from just how little armor he was wearing. There was a reason why it was nicknamed “Sexy Sigil” after all.

“Thank you.”  Which is what someone said to anyone offering anything, even if the blond wasn’t sure what “special surprise” it was going to be.  Interesting, anyway.  Attention back to what he’d been doing, then blinking at the character select screen, Prompto took a moment to pretend he wasn’t staring as hard at a video game character as he was.  Well, uh… wow.  "Right, yeah.  Looks pretty tough.“  His laugh was a little faster and higher than normal.  And stopped when he came across a seemingly female character made of ice… only kind of perfectly sculpted and leaving very little to the imagination.  It was all he could do to read the description.  "I’ll go for the, uh… Bliza the Ice Sorceress, then.  Fight dragons with ice, right?”  Yeah, that was it.

“If you like glass cannons, sure,” Gladio offered his succinct opinion, already sure in his victory. Loading up the battle arena, each warrior made their dramatic entrance - Navarax flying in before landing in a body builder-esque pose while Bliza formed out of ice and twirled suggestively about an icicle. “Gonna play the winner, Noct?” He asked right before the match began, both characters bouncing subtly in their idle animations.

“Sure.”  The prince responded, trying to sound as disinterested as possible.  Video game graphics had… come a long way.  There was evidence right in front of him.  "Wasn’t this supposed to be censored in some places..?“

"Not here.”  Prompto wasn’t exactly complaining.  Or he hadn’t been.  There was a count and then a flurry of button presses and flying around the screen (sometimes literally), and an attack he didn’t even know about which made Bliza’s already suggestive form a little more so, which was only countered by a very suggestive pin by Navarax and–  An over-dramatic sound of defeat was definitely warranted, if not required.  At least Prompto wasn’t the type to throw controllers.  "Hey!  Wait, no!  That was totally unfair and I… got distracted.“  He wasn’t the type to think all that much about what he was saying when he tried to defend himself, either.  But all those fighters with skimpy little outfits and… motion physics, men and women, were totally not fair.

"Maybe we should get the censored version.”  The prince wasn’t exactly subtle in his teasing.

Fist pumping at his victory, Gladio quickly countered, “No, because that’s the one where they rebalanced everything and nerfed all the good characters.”

“No one cares about your tier list, Gladio,” the brunet chimed in as he finished off the sodas. Raspberry for himself, strawberry for Noct, and orange for Prompto. All neatly arranged on a tray along with Gladio’s root beer. “Mainly because you don’t recognize Torhi’s superiority.”

“I’d believe you if you did anything other than spam her knife juggle,” he bit back while reaching over to get his soda.

Passing it over, Ignis pointed out, “Oh, and there was so much skill involved in pinning Prompto against the wall and wailing on him with your kaiser knuckle.”

He wasn’t sure if he ought to have felt better, but Prompto did anyway.  "Thanks, Ignis.“  For the drink and for what almost sounded like a defense.  Close enough.  He was only too glad to accept his soda with another word of thanks, inspecting the slightly cloudy orange drink before taking a sip.  That was _really_ orange-tasting, but not too sweet, smooth and nice and… yeah, a surprise had been the way to go.

"You’re all forgetting how well-rounded Rar is.”  Noctis pointed out, somehow managing to keep a straight face.  As long as “well-rounded” actually meant “over-powered werewolf and actually two characters in one with two health bars”.  Well, he reserved the right to choose whoever he wanted, as he was the prince and all.

Uncapping his root beer, Gladio rolled his eyes at the very suggestion. “There’s a reason why he’s banned in tournaments, Noct.” he muttered before taking a swig.

“I thought it was because of the….” Ignis coughed and made a vague gesture with his hands that subtly indicated _because of his very large werewolf bulge_.

The only response the prince gave to that was the vague choking sound heard as he attempted to sip his drink.  He ignored both Prompto’s snort and Gladio’s grin, swallowing and attempting to completely pretend as if nothing had been said at all.  "Guess I’m up, right?“  Putting the glass down, Noctis gave the situation some thought before adding, "Hold on a sec.” Then he–

Just wasn’t there.  Prompto blinked at something glowing and moving and then Noctis was _gone_ but he’d been right next to him and then suddenly not there except that when he looked around, the prince was actually at the kitchenette digging for snacks and it was all just impossible not to make a slightly distressed squeaking sound about.  "What the–  How–  What?  Did you–  Did that happen?“

Whipping his head back towards the fridge, Ignis tried to tamp down his immediate reaction. But his voice still cracked a bit as he called across the room, "Noct! We talked about this!”

It was the tone of Ignis’ voice that got Noctis to stand up straight almost immediately, casting a glance back.  And only then actually realizing what had happened.  "Oh.  Right.“  Okay, maybe he was relying on warping a little more often than he should have been.  It was just so convenient…  Looking to Prompto, he only offered, "It happens sometimes.”  He sort of hoped his friend wouldn’t be freaked out…

And couldn’t have expected the sheer level of enthusiasm displayed by the blond.  "You can _do_ that?  Oh wow, is that royal crystal stuff?  You were all sparkly and then you weren’t there and it was like–   _Wow_!“

Unable to stifle his laughter, Gladio couldn’t help chuckling. When the blond turned towards him, he tried to wave away that concerned look. ”‘It happens sometimes,’“ he parroted back, before laughing even harder. "Noct, you’ve been doing it since you were like five. It’s just that you’ve finally gotten control over it.”

“So you should know to use it wisely,” Ignis jumped in, still a bit on edge even if Prompto was… more than accepting. “And respectfully. It’s a gift from the Crystal after all.” And somehow the sheer reverence in his voice acted as verbal capitalization.

Noctis did at least have the sense to look properly chided.  For a moment.  The armful of single-serving snacks did a little bit to remove any potential appearance of gilt, however.  At least he walked back.  "It’s just… kind of natural.“  He didn’t quite defend himself to Ignis, though he did sort of try to explain to Prompto.

"Noct it’s _so cool_.”  The blond continued, though ducked his head with the look he got from Ignis.  "I mean you should, uh.  Use it responsibly.  But still cool.“

There was a light eye roll from the prince, dumping a few of the snack bags on the bed and distributing others randomly.  Even to Ignis, out of politeness.  "I’ll try to watch it.  Okay?”

“Wait… if Prompto’s in on the little secret….” Gladio started, the smile already on his lips. “Can we show him the really cool stuff?” Not that he even bothered to wait for the answer before jumping up.

“Gladio,” Ignis whispered fiercely, as if worried they would be caught at any moment.

Waving away that objection, he promised, “What my old man and Cor don’t know about won’t hurt 'em.”

Wide eyed, Prompto looked between the two slightly arguing parties with barely restrained excitement.  He couldn’t even imagine how Noctis could look so unaffected, sitting again and opening up a bag of chips while he waited for “Player 1” to come back to the controller.  "What?  What is it, what?“

Oh, he had an eager audience and the chance to show off - he was so gonna milk it. Taking a deep breath, he focused on his left hand and tried to imagine the right feel and weight. It still took concentration, the light forming in small motes rather than the instantaneous appearance more experienced users managed. But with a small grunt of concentration, the sword managed to materialize in his hand, solid and shimmering. No, not the great swords his father wielded, but still pretty impressive considering. "This,” he finally managed, hefting the sword over his shoulder as he attempted a manly pose.

It seemed for a moment as if all of the words in the blond’s head simply crashed into each other, nothing immediately coming out of his mouth despite his excited gesturing.  Then, finally, unintelligently, he managed a sincere, “Wow!”

For his part, Noctis continued crunching on chips, giving a shrug when his friend looked at him.

Undaunted, Prompto continued with a little more gesturing.  "This is so cool!  All I can do is put my whole fist in my mouth.“

Snorting at first, Gladio couldn’t hold back his laughter. He at least softened it by ruffling Prompto’s hair with a big grin. Putting his blade in front of the blond, he pretty much encouraged admiration. "It’s not live steel and doesn’t have all the details of signature Royal Armory weapons, but it’s still pretty cool.”

The blond shrank back just the slightest bit at first; not out of any kind of fear, but it was just… _too_ impressive.  Too wonderful and amazing and… well, he couldn’t very well _stay_ leaning away from the weapon, slowly leaning closer just to look. Not to touch, because that seemed kind of rude.  At least without asking.  "So… you can all do this stuff..?“

Not that there was much more than a little glance from the prince as he was finishing his chips.  Priorities.

Since Prompto was so clearly enraptured by the whole thing, he didn’t mind sharing a bit more. "Well, it takes training and there’s a whole ritual that goes along with it but… yah, all three of us can.” Catching the brunet’s gaze, he had to tease, “But Iggy’s still shy about it.”

Adjusting his glasses amid his fluster, he tried to deflect the sudden attention, “It doesn’t always work when I do it.” But feeling the weight of those gazes on him, Ignis took a breath and tried anyway. It took a moment for the _shape_ to even form but with a sudden gasp, he managed to produce a single dagger. Simple, smooth lines but unlike Gladio’s practice sword, his blade appeared sharp and bright. “But… it’s _satisfying_ when it does.”

“ _Wow._ ”  Prompto’s enthusiasm hadn’t waned in the least bit, gaping a little,  He hadn’t really expected Ignis to have a _knife_ , and not one that _big_ , but… it was also kinda not as much of a surprise as he thought it might be.  "I-I mean… that’s kind of terrifying but in a cool way, y'know?“

Noctis snorted softly, finally done with his snack, calmly balling up the empty chip bag in his hand as he stood up.  He hadn’t been invited to yet, but he knew Prompto’s eyes were on him, and he _was_ a lot better at his own powers than he used to be.

Answering the question, Gladio assured, "Oh yah. Totally was scary when Noct started doing it after he-”

It only took a quick clearing of the throat and a glare as sharp as his dagger from Ignis to stop that story in its tracks.

With an embarrassed little glance away, he started over, “When he started doing it when he was little. Iggy and I have only been training for a little while.”

Watching the prince’s telltale little stretch, Ignis tried to reign him in slightly, “Noct, we all know you’re planning to draw one of your swords, but don’t go _overboard_.”

The look Noctis gave Ignis over his shoulder was cool, calm, nonchalant.  A huge red flag.  Before he could manage another word, however, his eyes flashed; suddenly surrounding him were several swords that appeared to be made of reflected light; transparent silver, slowly orbiting him.

The blond’s jaw dropped with the sight; and only then he thought enough to lean _back_ as far as he could without actually insulting the prince.  "You can do that too?  Are you serious? How do you even keep this a secret, this is awesome!“

Noctis snorted as he glanced at his friend with a little smile, swords moving just a little bit faster as he planned to simply dismiss them–until the not terribly subtle sound of _ripping_ surprised them into seeming nonexistence again.  He did have the sense to flinch, slightly.  Especially when he caught sight of a few feathers from what used to be a pillow drifting through the air.  But he absolutely did not look in Ignis’ direction.

"You shredded part of the comforter too,” Gladio informed, looking over the destruction wrought to the royal bed. “I can’t tell if this is better or worse than the time you warped out of your bath when you were five and-”

“ _Gladio._ ”  It wasn’t… the best story to tell a friend.  Not _technically_ a new friend, but sort of.  Someone who actually didn’t _mind_ the palace or his powers.  Besides, Noctis was already blushing a little and he felt it and really didn’t want it to continue.  He did panic slightly at the knowledge that his father _still_ told that story…

“Wow, hey, um…”  Prompto fumbled, trying to find something positive to say.  It… worked.  Mostly.  "I tripped over a chair and broke it once.“  Yeah.  That helped.

Leaning in, Gladio risked royal wrath to add, "What he doesn’t want you to know is that _my dad_ chased his naked baby butt through a hall full of fancy-ass people.”

Having stood up to examine the bed, Ignis commented between gentle pokes to the pillow, “It is one of your father’s favorite stories.”

“I still prefer the one about the Coeurls falling sleep on top of the Regalia out near Solhiem and Cor trying to shoo them off with a broom,” Gladio shot back, giving a little tug to the torn blanket. Glancing back to Prompto, he promised, “We know all the weird royal stories.”

Royal wrath may not have shown up immediately, but Noctis was absolutely going to make the next training session as unbearable as possible for Gladiolus.  As if he… had much power over that.  He’d _find a way_ , as far as he was concerned.  "I was a runner.“  At least he tried to participate, arms crossed.

But Prompto was just… gaping.  Again.  Still.  Weird royal stories.  The whole _concept_ was just… beyond his ability to understand.  He’d gotten hints that maybe Noctis wasn’t _quite_ as cool and aloof as he seemed, but after all that, even with fancy powers and everything, everyone in the room just seemed so… _normal_. The laugh was a delayed response, like the realization finally freed the sound.  "I bet if I ask for more weird royal stories I’m gonna get removed by a guard or something, huh?”

Finally pulling back the comforter, Ignis began folding it up even if it was ruined. “Oh, yes, the Glaive will be on you in moments if we share the tale of Clarus Amiticia and the Marlboro,” he responded back, his little grin giving away his sarcasm.

With a snort as he pulled off the pillows, he couldn’t help but fill in, “Years go, my dad learned the _hard_ way that the baby Marboros smell _worse_ than the adults. My mom wouldn’t even talk to him until he stopped stinking… so there was an impromptu camping trip.” Even as he spilled feathers everywhere, Gladio still tried to look macho, “It was a legendary weekend of very manly stenches.”

Even Noctis couldn’t completely manage to keep a straight face, the chuckle short and quiet but there.  "Sorry I missed it.“

Prompto, on the other hand, had started out chuckling.  Then the laughing had only increased until he finally got it under control, trying to breathe normally.  "Sorry, you just… you’ve got all these powers and titles and things and you’re just so…”  He stopped himself, clearing his throat.  All eyes on him, using the word “normal” felt kind of… wrong.  So he did the only thing he felt he could do.  "What’s a… better word for 'normal’?“

A second or two of silence followed, the blond slowly starting to duck his head.  Noctis simply reacted without thinking, snorting quietly before giving a little shove to Prompto’s shoulder.  "Don’t think any version of 'normal’ really fits.”  When he friend looked up at him in confusion, he shrugged and offered easily, “If _you_ weren’t _special_ , you wouldn’t be here.”

That just got Prompto to duck even further, flustered and embarrassed and smiling like an idiot.  He kinda didn’t _care_ , though.  "Y-yeah, sure.“

With a sharp nod, the brunet supported that assertion. "You are more than simply _welcome_ here, Prompto,” Ignis added, giving him a light pat to one shoulder. Though torn, the folded comforter he held still felt so soft against the blond’s arm.

“We’re serious,” Gladio promised, a smile bolstering his words. “You may’ve started as one of Noct’s friends but… you’re one of _us_ now.” And to prove that, he tapped him on the head with a pillow, fluffy feathers falling into his hair.

“ _Hey_.”  The blond laughed, far from actually complaining; even about the feathers.  Even if he looked maybe the slightest bit curled into himself, it was only from being a bit overwhelmed; in a good way.  There weren’t enough words and he just didn’t think he had the time to _find_ any, so what he had would have to do.  "Thanks.“

With a soft sound of acknowledgment, the prince gently plucked one of those feathers from Prompto’s hair.  "Besides, we can’t do four-person brawlers with three.”

“ _Thanks_ , I feel _real_ special.”  Prompto drawled sarcastically, still unable to hide his grin.

“So Battle _Royale_ then?” Gladio prompted… but rather than reach for a controller, he instead tossed a pillow at Noct’s chest. Time even seemed to slow down as it exploded outward into a shock wave of feathers, all of them caught in the cross-fire.

The only proper course of action was a swift counter attack, Ignis smacking him with the comforter. “Stop engaging in _treason_ , Gladio,” he mock chided, even as his own attack caused thick polyfil to join the feathery fallout.

There was one, solid second when Noctis and Prompto held eye contact.  Then they both _moved_ , Noctis somewhat diving sideways to reach for a better pillow, and Prompto just darting behind the bed in hopes of evading attack.  Save all of the feathers floating through the air.  One of them or not, he was more than content to ever so carefully reach for one of those snack packs of chips and wait out the battle.


End file.
